Christmas dinnerware is one of the few tableware purchases with a hard deadline attached. If a hotel or restaurant would like to have custom holiday dinnerware in place for the December service, they would not be able to place an order for it in November and receive it on time. The ordering window is much sooner than most F&B teams realize, from the time the sample is approved to when it is produced and when it is shipped internationally.
The guide explains when to order Christmas and holiday dinnerware, design preferences, materials to consider for hospitality volume, and how to avoid making timing mistakes that result in a property having a lack of table settings just before peak season.
Christmas and holiday dinnerware should be ordered in September or early October so that the plates and cups can be approved, manufactured, and delivered in time for December. Opt for classic red and gold, white and silver, or nature-inspired holiday palettes in durable porcelain or stoneware, or forgo one-time, Christmas-only designs for versatile winter use that can be repeated throughout the holiday season.
Table of Contents
Why Christmas Dinnerware Needs a September Ordering Window
The production of custom hotel dinnerware is the same as any other custom order – sample approval, a full production run, quality inspection, and international shipping. This process normally takes 8 to 12 weeks from confirmation of design to delivery on property. Booking for December service doesn’t leave time, even without factoring in the seasonal shipping delays which affect ocean freight every four quarters.
The hotel tableware procurement checklist explains in greater detail the process of the specification and delivery process, and the same principle of lead time applies to seasonal orders, if any, more than ever because there is no flexibility on the delivery date.
Design Directions for Hotel and Restaurant Christmas Dinnerware
There are four common design approaches to a hospitality holiday program that will correspond to different property types and re-use options.
Classic Red and Gold
The most familiar holiday palette is the gold rim, holly or poinsettia designs, or gold banding on a white porcelain background. This way is immediately associated with Christmas dinnerware and is appropriate for banquet halls and formal holiday occasions where a pronounced “Christmas” theme is more important than year-round reuse.
White and Silver
A more formal, contemporary option to gold and red, sometimes embellished with snowflakes or with silver rim trims or a matte white glaze with some interesting texture. This direction is perfect for properties with 5-star ratings and formal dining rooms, in need of a seasonal flair without the costume and over-the-top holiday theme.
Nature-Inspired Winter Motifs
The Pine twigs, winter botanicals, and muted evergreen colors create a design that seems to be winter- and holiday-themed, but not just for Christmas. This is the best-so far solution for properties looking for more versatile holiday dinnerware to keep on the shelf from the end of November to the end of February instead of storing it overnight after Christmas.
Nordic Minimalist Holiday
Boutique hotels and contemporary restaurant designs that wish to still maintain their design vocabulary for the rest of the year will benefit from simple geometric patterns in muted sage or ivory tones and a lack of ornamentation.
Material Selection for Seasonal Volume
The demand for banquets and events is usually highest during Christmas and holiday week, so as much as the design matters, it is important that materials are durable. Commercial-grade porcelain is perfect for handling a full calendar of holiday events, and stoneware is ideal for those more nature-inspired and Nordic minimalist looks. Regardless of the material used, you should verify the durability of the firing and glazes that are expected for any other bulk tableware order.
If you’re hosting holiday buffets along with plated meals, our how to choose tableware for hotel buffets guide is written specifically for the high-volume restaurant setting, which includes a busy holiday brunch or buffet program.
Custom Branding for Corporate Holiday Events
December is a busy time of year for corporate holiday parties, private dining buyouts, and end-of-year client events, where a property’s branded Christmas dinnerware is visible to the guests. Coordinating logo printing with a property’s colour palette, or coordinating the menu card/place setting branding, is more of an afterthought to include at a late stage in the design process, rather than planning a part of the design.
In our OEM vs ODM guide, we discussed the two ways to get a branded seasonal design, and this includes the option of creating your design from scratch or modifying an existing pattern. In our private label dinnerware guide, we explained about production lead times for logo and branding work, which can be four to ten weeks and should be taken into account when ordering for your holiday season.
At the time of holiday events that have the structure of an official banquet service, then our banquet dinnerware setup guide includes complete table set standards that complement a coordinated holiday design.
Reusability: Christmas-Only vs. Full Winter Season Designs
Patterns that are specific to Christmas, Santa ornaments, or the words “Merry Christmas” incur a higher use cost, as they can only be used for a few weeks of the year. If your property is on a tighter budget or ordering smaller quantities, this is something to consider before committing to a design that is clearly in the Christmas spirit.
Common Christmas Dinnerware Ordering Mistakes
The most common mistake is to start ordering too late, believing that a 4-6 week lead time will be sufficient when, in reality, it is closer to an 8-12 week lead time once sample rounds and shipping are taken into account. The second is under-ordering: holiday service volume is higher than what a property’s normal banquet numbers would be, and replacement stock must be based on a higher breakage rate in the busiest weeks of the season.
The third is getting an overtly Christmas design without taking into account the reuse opportunity over the entire winter. The fourth one is adding branding and logo printing towards the end of the sample approval phase, instead of working it into the initial approval phase that can take weeks.
How Brett Supports Your Holiday Dinnerware Program
Since 1998, we have supplied hotels and restaurants with custom seasonal and holiday dinnerware to over 80 countries, including complete Christmas and winter collections that are designed to commercial banquet standards, and not based on one-time gift-line specifications. Our team will be on hand to help you establish a realistic ordering schedule, choose a design direction that is appropriate for your property’s style and re-use, and think about incorporating branding or logo from the initial stage of the sample process and not as an afterthought.
To serve coffee and tea with your holiday menu, our Wholesale Tea Cups & Saucers guide will help you choose the perfect matching cup & saucer sets that complement a coordinated seasonal table setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should hotels order Christmas dinnerware for the holiday season?
To account for sample approval, production, and shipping to get to the customer in time for December service, by September or early October.
Should hotels choose Christmas-specific designs or versatile winter patterns?
These flexible patterns have more re-use potential during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s season than do Christmas-themed patterns explicitly, if properties can afford the price and volume of banquets for their use during only a handful of weeks in the year.
What material holds up best for holiday banquet volume?
Commercial-grade porcelain will hold up well to the repeated handling and washing associated with a full calendar of holiday events, while stoneware will work well in a design direction that embraces nature and Nordic minimalism, requiring a warmer and more rustic design than porcelain.
How much extra stock should hotels order for the holiday season?
Increase the cost of the replacement allowance over and above a regular banquet order, as there are more items that will be broken and there are more items that will be used for service during the busiest weeks of the year.
Can Christmas dinnerware be custom branded for corporate holiday events?
Yes. Logo printing and custom color matching should be planned into the original sample approval round rather than added later, since late branding requests can add weeks to an already tight seasonal timeline.
Conclusion
It’s best to plan Christmas and holiday dinnerware in September and not November, when you’re ordering dinnerware for a hotel or restaurant. A realistic production and shipping time is 8-12 weeks, so design and quantity decisions should be made a long time before the holiday season starts to be in sight.
It is not only timing that is important, but design direction as well. For banquet halls and formal occasions, classic red and gold are the top seasonal statement pieces, while white and silver are best for upscale properties that demand restraint. Nature-inspired winter designs and Nordic-inspired minimalist patterns have the most seasonal reusability, and any design with custom branding must be customized from the first sample round. The material choice should reflect what you are going to be using it on at your actual holiday service, and not just the current holiday trend.
Custom Christmas and holiday dinnerware designed for commercial banquet volume and with FDA, ISO 9001, BSCI, and Sedex documentation available upon request. Call us at cbhoreca or WhatsApp +86 13535413512 to place your property’s holiday dinnerware order before ordering ends for the season.
